Fans of novelist John Green, also known as “nerdfighters,” are predicted to flock to see the film, “The Fault in Our Stars.” Green, who is known for his young adult novels and his popular YouTube videos, will likely enlarge his loyal following with this story of young lovers fighting cancer.

What could easily be a soppy and sentimental story rings with truth and real feeling. Green’s connection with his readers comes from his commitment to authenticity. Moviegoers will see that same commitment on the screen.

In the article, Bob Minsesheimer gave an inside look at the novel, which was due to be released in January 2012. Minsesheimer explained that Green, who had spent time working in a children’s cancer hospital, had long wanted to write a story about a teen with an incurable disease.

The challenge was to get the character right. “That is, until he met and became friends with a 16-year-old fan of his books named Esther who had cancer. She died last August,” Minsesheimer said.

Perhaps that’s why the story of “The Fault in Our Stars” is narrated by the lead character, Hazel, a 17-year-old who has terminal cancer.

“But it’s also brimming with joy. Hazel and Augustus have a zeal for living and for each other that, cancer or not, is rare, and it’s a delight to see their plans unfold and relationship flourish even as they both face death,” Syme said.

Because of his large fan base, built largely from his YouTube channel, Green has been able to raise money for causes he supports. According to Syme, his novel skyrocketed to the top of Amazon’s best-seller list after he offered signed copies in a pre-sale in 2011.

TFIOS

You might think that a novel about lovers dealing with cancer would be a real downer. That isn’t the case with “Fault” whose fans have dubbed it TFIOS. Fans of Green, known as nerdfighters, may quibble that the film doesn’t strictly follow the storyline, yet they remain loyal to Green.

In the article, Kinnon interviewed four women who described how they had learned to survive and even thrive after facing breast cancer.

Quoted in the article was Marilyn Francine Braxton who said, “Cancer caused me to pare down and strip away everything that was extraneous in my life–whether they were bad relationships, false friendships, working for everybody else except my own vision–it left me naked before God in a very free and almost childlike way to say I’m going to live my life happily for however long I have.”